Never Let Go
by sheep1215
Summary: "There wasn't an ounce of love in Gru's heart.  Not after he ignored Agnes's tearful pleas to stay, or the sadness in Edith's eyes when she was told to leave.  How heartless could one person be?"   Margo's POV from the end scenes of the movie. ONE-SHOT


**Hey! This is my first Despicable Me Fanfic and my first fanfic EVER (yikes) so go easy on me. I really hope you like it!**

**I do not own Despicable Me…SOB**

The chatter of the studio auditorium filled Margo's ears as she watched her youngest sister, Agnes, peek around the stage curtain for about the millionth time.

"He's still not here yet!" she announced, sadly looking back at her two sisters.

"He" was Mr. Gru—an odd, despicable man who scarcely knew how to care for children. Gru had adopted Margo, her younger roommate Edith, and her youngest roommate, Agnes, as his own. At first, Gru was uncaring as he could be, but Margo had started to detect a change in his heart, as if he was really growing to love them.

But that all changed yesterday.

When Miss Hattie, the orphanage owner, had knocked on the door yesterday morning, Margo thought that Gru would immediately turn her away. Instead, Miss Hattie had informed Gru that she was there to pick up the girls and take them back to the orphanage—Gru _himself _had called to return them. Margo knew it was some kind of mistake; it had to be! But Gru willingly gave them up and sent them back to Miss Hattie's. He gave them away! Now Margo was sure there wasn't an ounce of love in Gru's heart. Not after he ignored Agnes's tearful pleas to stay, or the sadness in Edith's eyes when she was told to leave. How heartless could one person be?

Now, things were back to the way they were—back sleeping on the stone-hard beds with the thin pink sheets that never kept them warm at night. Back to getting cooped up in "the box of shame" for days on end.

Back to being three little orphaned girls with no one to love them.

"Why would he come?" Margo asked angrily. "He gave us up!"

Agnes was insistent. "But he pinky promised!"

Margo felt sorry for Agnes—she just couldn't understand. Gru was never coming back. He didn't love them anymore! In fact, Margo wondered if he really ever did at all.

"Girls, girls!" Mrs. Christie, the dance director, broke through Margo's thoughts. The show was about to begin, and the frantic teacher was skittering around, trying to get everyone ready for the opening act. All three girls whirled around at the sound of her melodic voice. "Places!"

"No, we can't start yet," Edith objected, gesturing to the audience. "We're still expecting someone!"

Agnes gazed at Mrs. Christie, her big brown eyes full of sadness. "Can't we just wait a few more minutes?" Margo knew Mrs. Christie would give in. No one could resist Agnes's innocence.

No one, that was, except for Mr. Gru.

Sure enough, Mrs. Christie let out a sigh and nodded. "All right," she said quickly. "But just a few more minutes." With that, she scampered off to help some other dancer who was having trouble with her costume.

Margo hated to crush her sisters' spirits, but she wasn't going to lie to them and leave them waiting for someone who was never going to show up.

"He's not coming, guys," she sighed, walking off after Mrs. Christie. She didn't need to delay her show just for them. Especially if there was no reason to.

"But—" Agnes once again tried to object.

"He's _not_ coming, Agnes!" Margo whirled around, finally at her limit. Agnes jerked back in fear, and Margo immediately felt guilty. She knelt down and took her sister's hands in her own, lowering her voice. "I know he promised, but Mr. Gru isn't who we thought he was. He…" she bit her lip, searching for words, and then finally just let out a sigh. "He doesn't love us anymore."

"Oh…" Agnes trailed off despondently, tears brimming in her eyes.

Margo's heart sank. She didn't mean to smother her sister's hopes completely! She looked into Agnes's tear-filled eyes. "But—But right now, what's important is that we do well at the recital! And who knows—maybe we'll get lucky, and…and maybe there'll be someone in that crowd, someone nice, and loving, who wants to adopt three daughters!"

"Fat chance," Edith scoffed. Margo shot her an angry glare and she shrugged. "I'm just _saying_!"

Margo rolled her eyes and turned back to Agnes. "The point is, let's just worry about the dance right now. Let's just try our best and have a good time, ok?"

Before Agnes could respond, Mrs. Christie pranced into the room, speaking at a mile a minute.

"Ok, girls, we really need to get started, so has your guest arrived yet?"

"It's alright, Mrs. Christie. You can start now," Agnes sighed with a sniffle. "He's not coming."

Mrs. Christie looked concerned. "Oh…who is he?"

Margo shook her head, not even looking at her teacher. "Nobody."

And it was true—Now, Gru _was_ a nobody. Someone who was willing to thrust three innocent children back into the orphanage, just when they thought they were so close to having a family…no one like that deserved to be classified as a somebody.

Mrs. Christie let out an uneasy chuckle. "Oh…well, then, ok. Alright, girls, places!"

"Come on, guys," Margo gestured to her sisters to take their places. "Let's go."

With one last forlorn look at each other, Edith and Agnes reluctantly obeyed.

As the curtain rose up, and the music began, Margo felt like a robot as she preformed her ballet moves. Despite what she told Agnes about doing her best, she felt no passion herself as she merely let out the motions step-by-step. She tried her best to focus on her form, but thoughts of Gru and her sisters filled her mind. She never understood how, or why, Gru was willing to give them up. Sure, he was different; he had a secret lab right under his house! But still, Margo really thought that Gru had changed…that he really loved them. When Miss Hattie came to take them back, Gru seemed surprised, yet, he didn't speak up at all to try to keep them. Why hadn't he stopped her? Didn't he realize what they were going through? She really thought he cared…

All too soon, the song was over, and the curtain fell, sending the other dancers scampering off to find their parents. Margo just stood there, watching her two younger sisters stare miserably at the ground. Had they had the same thoughts about Gru? Did they really think that he was willing to be their loving father?

"Girls?" Mrs. Christie approached them gently. "Are…are you alright? You performed beautifully."

"Thank you, Mrs. Christie," Margo knew the dance teacher was trying to make them feel better, but she still couldn't fight the wave of homesickness that swept over her. But why? Gru's house definitely was not her home—at least, not anymore. She shook her head and held out her hands for Agnes and Edith. "Come on, you guys. We have to be heading back."

Still staring at the ground, Agnes and Edith took her hands, and they walked down the steps that led them off the stage. Already, the auditorium had completely cleared out. They needed to be heading back to Miss Hattie's fast, otherwise they'd end up in the box of shame for the second day in a row. As they descended down the last step, Agnes pointed to their left. "Look!" she exclaimed.

Jerking her head around, Margo spotted someone sitting in the seat they had reserved for Gru. He was an oddly familiar face, and his orange jumpsuit could be spotted from a mile away.

"Mr. Vector?" Margo looked at him, confused. "W—what are you doing here?"

"What?" Vector rose to his feet. "Is it a crime for me to see a good ballet?"

Mr. Vector was the last person Margo expected to see at a ballet, unless it was about cookies. The awkward, nerdy cookie lover lived right down the street from the dance studio, and the girls had met him before Gru adopted them, when they were selling cookies for Miss Hattie. Vector was almost as odd as Gru; his house was a modernized theme of pure white and orange, complete with an under-floor aquarium, epic home theater system, and a huge arsenal of deadly missiles.

"No…just…" something about Mr. Vector made Margo feel uneasy. "We're just…surprised to see you here."

"Why are you still wearing your pajamas?" Agnes asked.

"They're not _PAJAMAS!_" Vector stomped his foot. Finally, he rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Look, I'm looking for Gru, ok? Now, where is he?"

"He didn't come," Edith announced, even though Margo squeezed her hand anxiously. Vector didn't need to know their personal business. Still, Edith continued. "He gave us up. He told us to hit the road."

"Oh…what a shame," Vector scowled, not looking sympathetic at all. Then he shook his head and his face melted into a sinister smile. "So…that means you have to go back to the orphanage, right?"

Before Margo could reply, Agnes spoke up. "Yep. We have to go back to Miss Hattie's. And we'll probably have to go back in the box of shame again. And I don't like the box of shame. It's dark. And Miss Hattie won't let me hold my unicorn. And I love unicorns!"

"I see…" Vector mused, obviously paying no attention. Margo backed away a bit. Mr. Vector seemed to be scheming something, and she didn't like it at all. "Say," he finally broke the silence. "I think I ordered a bit too many cookies last time I did business with you guys. Whatdoya say you girls head on over and we'll share some, ok? I'll show you my shark!"

"A shark!" Agnes smiled, but Margo quickly pulled her away. Something wasn't right here. They needed to leave.

"No, Agnes," she said quickly. She then chuckled nervously at Vector. "Uh, that sounds cool, and all, but, we really need to be getting back to—"

"You're not going anywhere!" Vector shouted, whipping out some kind of squid launcher from his pocket. Before any of the girls could react, Vector tied a rope around a squid and shot it at Margo, who ducked down just in time. Enraged, Vector ripped the squid off of where it landed on the wall and then stuffed it back into the gun.

"Run!" Margo commanded, grabbing her sisters' hands and bolting for the exit to the auditorium. She had no idea what Vector was doing, but they were in danger. They had to escape!

"Hold still, you little punks!" Margo heard Vector close behind her, and suddenly, something slapped against the back of her head, and she was yanked backwards. Before she knew it, Vector grabbed her and whirled a rope around her, tying it tightly.

"Let me go!" she screamed. "What are you—Stop!" As much as she struggled, she couldn't get free. Instead, Vector shoved her against the side of the stage with his foot, and began to aim the squid launcher once again. Margo looked desperately at her sisters, who were huddled in the corner of the auditorium. Vector approached them menacingly.

"No!" Margo screamed, as Vector shot another squid straight at them, this time sticking to Agnes's arm. He pulled her in like a fish, and within seconds, she was tied up and thrown against Margo. Before Edith could react, Vector shot a squid right at her leg, causing her to trip and be yanked in, tied up and thrust into the auditorium wall.

"What are you doing?" Margo screamed, still straining to break free. "Why are you doing this to us?"

"To get the moon, of course!" Vector cackled. "Once Gru sees you in trouble, he'll come running back to rescue you little brats, and once he gives me the moon, _I'll_ be the greatest supervillain on earth! I'll knock Gru right off the charts!"

"Wait—" Margo froze in shock. "Gru…is a supervillain?"

"Duh," Vector said, sticking out his tongue. "Gosh, you kids are dumber than I thought." Vector turned away from the girls and strode towards the exit to the auditorium.

Suddenly, Agnes yelled out at the departing villain. "You just watch! Mr. Gru will save us!"

Vector froze in his tracks and turned around evilly. "Oh, really…" he grinned, opening the door. "What makes you think he'd go after you? I thought you said he gave you up!"

None of the girls had an answer for that.

With a menacing grin, Vector let out an evil laugh and slammed the door to the auditorium, leaving Margo and her sisters in pitch darkness.

It was no use…they were trapped.

After leaving Margo and her sisters at the auditorium, Vector had returned with his vehicle and thrown all three of the girls in his storage compartment, so they would be undetected. When he arrived at his house/lair, Vector had untied the girls and thrown them into some kind of spherical containment unit. It was clear like glass, but no matter how hard they pounded, they couldn't get out. Margo had stopped trying to escape a long time ago.

Vector explained his plan to them once again—he had left a ransom note at the auditorium that would lead Gru straight to his "fortress of Vectortude". From there, he'd be forced to relinquish the moon, to save his daughters, or else.

All three girls knew what "or else" meant.

It seemed like hours, they had been waiting in fear. All that time, doubts had been running through Margo's head. What if Gru didn't see the note? What if he didn't even go to the studio? He probably didn't care enough to even show up. What if he didn't show up? What…what would happen then? Tears streamed down her cheeks with each thought, but she quickly wiped them away. She had to be strong. For her sisters.

Margo had pretty much given up hope when a loud bang jolted her out of her trance. She whirled around and looked at Vector's huge security screen to see none other than Gru, banging on the door that guarded Vector's lair. Agnes smiled, Edith grinned, and Margo just stared in astonishment. He came for them! He really did care!

"Vector!" he commanded. "Open up!"

"Now the fun begins," chuckled Vector, as he jabbed a button that caused a huge video screen to rise over the door, projecting a video stream of himself.

"First, give me the moon," he ordered. "Then we'll talk."

Margo watched, her heart in her stomach, as Gru reached in his jacket and pulled out a small grey orb.

_Is that…the moon?_ Margo was shocked. How on earth was Gru able to shrink the _moon_?

The true question was, would he relinquish it? All the time spent in his lab was devoted to his plan of stealing the moon…it mattered to him more than anything else! Margo sighed. There was no way that he was going to give that up just to save three little orphan girls…was there?

With a chuckle, Vector pressed a button that sent a tube jutting out of the wall, ready to suck up the moon and send it right up to him.

Gru looked at the tube, then at the moon. It was an impossible decision.

_Please, Mr. Gru…_ Margo silently prayed. _Please show us you really care! I know you do!_

Then, with a determined look, Gru dropped the moon into the hole, sending it whizzing up to Vector. Margo let out a sigh of relief. He really did care! And now Vector would let them go—she could tell Gru how sorry she was for doubting him.

"Mr. Gru!" Agnes called out to him, waving her arm.

"Zip it, Happy Meal!" Vector snapped, and instantly, Agnes's eyes filled with anxiety. A pit formed in Margo's stomach. What was taking so long? When was he going to let them go?

"Now, the gurls," Gru demanded.

A sinister grin spread over Vector's face. "Actually," he smiled, "I think I'll hold on to them a little while longer!"

Margo's heart froze and she let out a gasp. Vector wasn't going to let them go at all! What was he going to do to them now? Agnes grabbed Margo and whimpered into her skirt.

"No!" Gru was just as shocked as Margo.

"Oh yeah," Vector cheered, throwing up his arms. "Un-pre-dictable!"

Margo saw Gru's face melt into rage and he leaned in close to Vector's security camera.

"Listen close, you little punk," he threatened. "Vhen I get in dere, you are in for a _world_ of pain!"

A ray of hope flickered inside Margo. Gru wasn't going to give up so easily.

Vector wasn't as convinced. Instead, he let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Ooh," he chuckled, "I'm really scared!"

Infuriated, Gru slammed his fist into the camera so hard that it broke the glass, jolting Vector so much he nearly dropped the moon. All three girls grinned, especially Margo. She should have known that Gru meant business.

"He's gonna kick your butt," Agnes smiled. Margo grinned at her sister. She had read her mind.

Vector simply scoffed and pressed a button. Margo's grin disappeared as six huge missiles shot out from the top of the building and zoomed past Gru. Leaving a huge trail of smoke, they suddenly turned and began zooming right towards their rescuer. Margo gripped her sisters in fear. Those were _heat-seeking_ missiles—there was no way humanly possible that Mr. Gru could dodge those!

"Chew on that, Gru!" Vector sneered, tossing the moon backwards so it landed in a mug labeled "I 3 Evil".

_It's over,_ Margo thought, shutting her eyes so she wouldn't have to see Gru's demise.

Suddenly, Agnes gasped. "Look!"

Margo's eyes flew open, and she couldn't believe what she saw. Mr. Gru had leapt on top of the missile, and was now flinging himself amongst them like something out of an action movie.

"Awesome!" Edith grinned.

"Yeah, Mr. Gru!" cheered Agnes. Vector shot them both an angry glare.

Then, with one final karate leap, he cleared the missiles and they came whizzing right towards the gates.

BLAM!

After the explosion, all Margo could see was smoke. Her heart started racing. Where was Mr. Gru?

Suddenly, a familiar striped scarf appeared through the smoke. Gru strode towards the building with a determined look on his face. Nothing was going to stop him!

"Wha—" Vector was just as shocked. Frantically, he jabbed at another button. Margo spotted a triangular fin speed through the moat around Vector's lair. With a huge growl, Vector's enormous shark leapt out of the water, jaws wide open. With one swift move, Gru socked it in the nose with his fist, not even looking at the aquatic beast, which fled whimpering back into the water.

Margo's hopes soared. Nothing Vector did was going to stop Gru! He might as well give up now.

Vector drew his fists close to his face, obviously intimidated. Gru had no intention of stopping. "What? He punched my shark!"

_Give it up, Vector,_ Margo grinned in her mind.

Suddenly, Vector hastily flipped open a glass circle and twisted the lever inside, labeled "escape pod".

"Woah!" all three girls yelled as they fell to the bottom of their bubble cage, unsteadied by the sudden rising of the structure. Margo gasped as she saw the camera view getting higher and higher—they were rocketing into the air!

"Oh, yeah!" Vector cheered, obviously satisfied with himself. He then slumped down into his V-shaped driver's seat and began to steer through the clouds.

Margo just couldn't take it anymore. Vector had to let them go! She leaned over to the side of the bubble cage and yelled as loud as she could.

"What's wrong with you?" she called out to Vector. "You have the moon, so why won't you just let us go?"

"Please," Vector scoffed with a flip of the hand. "Do you _really_ think I'd give Gru that satisfaction? I'm a villain, _hello_? Double-crosser's my middle name! Well…actually, no, it's Eugene, but—"

"Where are you taking us?" Agnes asked fearfully, her nose pressed up against the wall of the sphere.

"Eh, a toxic waste dump, spike factory, who knows where I'll _drop_ you off," Vector shrugged. "After all," he turned around and grinned menacingly, "I have three little _pests_ I need to get rid of, and we're 40,000 feet off the ground…sounds like a pretty good solution for _me_, huh?"

Agnes gasped and hid behind her sisters, and Margo clutched her sister's hand, her own fear rising.

With an evil laugh, Vector turned around and commenced his steering.

"Margo…" Margo heard a quiet voice behind her and turned to see Edith's fearful eyes staring back at hers. Instinctively, Edith had turned to her older sister for help. Margo was surprised. She had never seen Edith this frightened before. That only made her job as the eldest a whole lot harder. She had to be brave.

They _had_ to get through this.

Gru couldn't help them now. As much as he had tried, it was impossible. Gru himself had probably given up hope, helpless down below. It was up to Margo—after all, she was the oldest.

"Don't worry," Margo assured her. "I'll find a way out of here, I promise." Instantly, Margo began looking around, trying to find some way that they could somehow escape. They would find a way out of the bubble, and then somehow get back down to earth…

Suddenly, a strange sound came from Margo's right, almost as if something was being stretched out. She jerked her head to the side and gasped as she saw the moon expand, smashing the mug in which it had been contained in. She peered in even closer—was that her imagination? No, the moon emitted a green glow and grew even larger.

"Did you see that?" she asked her sisters, who gasped in response. The moon _was_ getting bigger! What if it didn't stop? They'd be crushed to death!

"Vector!" Margo called frantically, her sisters chorusing behind her. "Help!" She pounded on the glass, but Vector still didn't look away from his front window. Instead, he just barked back at them.

"Hey!" he yelled, "What are you girls doing back there?"

"Vector, over here!"

"The moon!"

"Help!"

Suddenly, the moon enlarged so much that it crushed the table it was on and went rolling across the floor, it's weight sending the whole ship tilting to the right. With a scream, Margo slid into Edith and Edith slid into Agnes as Vector strained to correct the ship's balance. With one big groan, Vector yanked the steering wheel back into position, and then turned around to reprimand the girls once again. Margo watched in horror as the moon rolled towards Vector, and then rolled _on top_ of their captor!

"Ouch!" he moaned when he was finally free, and then he slid to the ground, unconscious. Margo gripped onto her sisters and gasped. Now the moon had shifted direction and came barreling towards them, growing larger by the second.

"Watch out!" Margo screamed as the moon slammed into their enclosure, shattering it and making all three girls fall to the floor with a _thud_. Trying desperately to catch her breath after the unexpected fall, she checked over her sisters, who were just as frantic as she was.

"You ok?" Margo panted, inpecting Edith and Agnes for any cuts or bruises. Both of her sisters nodded their heads, their eyes stuck on the quickly-expanding moon. Margo jerked her view towards the huge rolling ball, which now nearly touched the roof. It slammed against the wall, tilting the whle ship on its side. Margo gripped her sisters' hands tight.

"We've got to get out of here!" she screamed, frantically looking for some kind of escape. She dropped to her knees, just in case there was some kind of secret passageway, but there was nothing. She pulled herself to her feet, trying her best to stay upright as the moon tilted the ship even more. Maybe there was something in the roof…

_We have to get out of here!_ Margo thought. She couldn't let her sisters die! Not like this!

Just then, a huge clunk sounded against the side of the ship, and the whole structure lurched to the side. All three girls screamed as Margo snatched up Agnes's hand and made sure Edith was on her tail as the moon began tumbling towards them, just missing the back of Edith's boot. Suddenly, Margo stumbled upon an opening that sloped down into the outside world. She guided her sisters to the opening, and looking back at the moon one more time, her gaze snapped back to the opening. Just below them, she saw none other than Mr. Gru!

"Mr. Gru, up here!" Margo screamed, waving her arm.

"Mr. Gru!" her sisters chorused behind her.

Margo couldn't believe it—their bald-headed rescuer emerged from his huge metal ship and stood on the wing, his arms outstretched.

"Ok, gurls, gurls!" Gru coaxed. "You're going to have to jump!"

Margo's eyes grew wide and she looked down at the drop below. The buildings looked like specks, they were so high. The gap between them and Mr. Gru looked to be about twenty feet across, at least. And the only thing between them was a thin wire and a 40,000 feet drop to certain death.

Edith's thoughts echoed her own. "Jump?" she cried, clutching her pink hat. "Are you _insane_?"

"Don't worry, I vill catch you!" Gru held out his arms as far as he could, but the gap still looked like it was miles across.

Then Margo remembered: this man was the one who returned them to the orphanage! He was a supervillian—he had deceived them once, he could do it again. How did they know they could trust him? Margo clutched onto Agnes, still unsure.

"You gave us back!" she accused.

Gru's eyes saddened. "I know, I know. And eet is de worst mistake I evur made! But you have to jump now!"

Realization filled Margo's heart. The sadness in Gru's eyes said it all. He really meant what he said; no other statement had ever been more sincere.

"It'll be ok," she reassured her sisters.

Trying to get as close to Gru as possible, she grabbed Agnes's hand and reached out towards a metal bar, grabbing it and almost slipping off in the process. Edith followed close behind. Butterflies with bazookas seemed to be fluttering in Margo's stomach. She just couldn't jump; not yet. She'd let Agnes and Edith go first—after all, their safety was her top priority.

"Okay, gurls!" Gru beckoned.

Edith grasped Agnes's hand, and Margo was reluctant to let go. Still, she knew there wasn't a second to waste—the moon was still growing bigger by the minute. They had to jump right that second.

"Jump now!" she commanded, letting go of Agnes's hand. In one swift movement, Edith scooped up Agnes and launched herself towards Gru. Sure enough, the bald-headed man caught them in his arms, and set them down next to his yellow-skinned "cousins," who led them safely inside of Gru's ship.

Margo held out her hand to Gru, preparing to jump, but suddenly, she felt Vector's ship creeping backwards, and saw the distance between her and Gru lengthen tremendously. She clutched onto the metal bar, terrified, as she caught another glimpse of the fatal drop below her. She couldn't do it—she just couldn't!

"Margo," Gru's reassuring voice broke through her fearful thoughts. "I _vill_ catch you! And I vill _never_ let you go again."

Margo looked at Gru, then back at the drop. Ever since she had become an orphan, the only people she'd ever trusted were Edith and Agnes. The world at Miss Hattie's was cruel, and untrustworthy, and no one was who they said they were. Margo had gone through a lot of pain in her life, and through that time, she had been trying to shield her sisters from all the lies in the world. Through all that, she had grown to think that she couldn't believe anybody. But as she looked back at Gru, she saw all the sincerity she had been eluded from all those years. He meant what he said. He _would_ catch her.

And she trusted him.

Margo inched her way forward as far as she could, and then, bringing new meaning to the term "leap of faith," she crouched down and leapt towards Gru's open arms.

As soon as her sneakers left the metal ramp, a yank came from the back of her jacket collar and she was jerked backwards fiercely.

"Not so fast!" a threatening voice came from behind her. With a gasp, Margo looked up and found herself staring at Vector, who had recovered from his encounter with the moon and was now menacingly holding Margo captive.

"No!" Gru screamed.

Margo struggled to get free, but Vector just jammed his arm against her and laughed, pulling out some kind of piranha-shooting gun and aiming it straight at Gru.

"Let me go!" Margo screamed. As weak as Vector looked, his grasp was like stone.

Suddenly, a huge slam knocked Vector off his feet and sent Margo flying helplessly through the air.

"Margo!" Gru yelled as Margo plummeted down, screaming.

Arms flailing, Margo looked for something—anything—to save her life. Gru was too far—she was going to die!

Then, miraculously, Margo was able to grab the wire that was connecting Gru's grappling hook to Vector's ship. Swaying precariously in the wind, she grasped on for dear life. She watched as Vector was able to pull himself from the edge of the ramp back up onto the ship, and then she looked down.

That was a mistake.

Margo's heart froze as she saw the gut-wrenching plummet below her. Immediately, she felt dizzy, and so she looked up at her hands. Her hands were already sweaty with fear, and she felt them slipping—how much longer could she hold on?

Gru was _not_ going to let anything happen to her. Immediately, he stepped to the start of the wire and began tightrope walking across it.

"I'm coming, Margo, hang on!" he called after her.

_I can't!_ Margo screamed in her head. She was too petrified to speak.

The wire shook a bit as Gru took baby steps towards Margo. Suddenly, there was a huge shake in the wire, and Margo strained to keep holding on. Looking to her right, she saw that Gru had nearly fallen himself, and was now holding on with his hands and feet and inching his way towards her. She felt the wire straighten out as someone pulled the ship even farther, but she still couldn't hold on…

"Woah!" Margo screamed as she lost her grip with one hand on the wire. She was scared to death now; she knew that there was no way she could hold on much longer. Margo could tell Gru noticed—he immediately quickened his pace.

Margo kicked her legs, trying to keep her balance as the wire strained even more—the moon was sending Vector's ship lurching farther away. Gru was just within touching distance. He held out his hand, and Margo held out her free one. Their fingers were just about to touch…

Suddenly, Margo heard a snap, and her heart rose into her throat as she felt gravity pulling her down, along with Gru. A heart-wrenching scream left her lips as they plummeted, down, down to their deaths.

Margo's whole life flashed before her eyes, her parents' death…meeting Agnes and Edith…her life at Miss Hattie's...

And then her first encounter with Gru. Upon meeting him, Margo almost wished she was back at Miss Hattie's. But now, Gru loved her so much that we was going to die trying to save her.

Still plunging down to Earth, Margo reached out to Gru. If she could die, knowing that he was holding her…in his arms…then it would be ok.

Suddenly, Gru's arm wrapped around hers, and immediately, their plummet came to a halt. Margo saw that Gru's cousins had saved both their lives by forming a chain and grabbing Gru's hand. But it was Gru that had caught her.

Overwhelmed with ebbing fear and newfound relief, Margo sobbed into Gru's…her father's…shoulder.

"I got you," Gru soothed, holding her tight.

Margo kept her eyes shut the whole way up as Gru's cousins slowly pulled the two up to the ship. Upon arrival, her sisters popped out from the ship and she was greeted with hugs and tears. Then, all of them watched, breathtaken, as Vector's ship rose into the sky, and then the moon finally bursting through the structure, sending Vector shooting into the air and landing on the rocky surface. His screams filled the sky as the ever-growing moon rocketed into the air, and then with one final burst of energy, broke through the atmosphere. One huge explosion later, the moon was back in space with wisps of shrink ray energy still surrounding it.

All of them stood in awe for a while, until Edith finally broke the silence.

"Wow…" she gasped. "That was so awesome! Let's do that again!"

Edith's cheers triggered a celebration on the ship, where all the minions rejoiced with the girls and congratulated Gru on their rescue. But Margo's gaze was stuck on her rescuer, her eyes full of gratitude. When Gru looked at her, she flashed him a grateful smile.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Gru's face lightened at her words and he smiled back at her.

"You're welcome," he nodded.

And the look in his eyes said it all; he meant what he said.

After that, Gru had flown them back home, where he explained the whole story. He, being a supervillian, had been planning to pull of the crime of the century by shrinking the moon. However, when Vector upstaged him and stole his shrink ray, Gru sought revenge. After failed attempts to get into Vector's lair, Gru saw the girls pass through security and adopted them for the sole purpose of getting the shrink ray. However, as time went by, Gru saw that the girls really were changing him, and…he loved them.

It turned out, his assistant, Dr. Nefario, had been the one who had called Miss Hattie to return the girls. He thought he was doing it for Gru's own good, but instead, he just made Gru's life miserable. He, too, apologized to the girls.

Surprisingly, Margo wasn't mad. In the end, Gru truly and honestly intended to love them and keep them, and both Gru and Nefario had seen the error of their ways. Margo was just happy to be home once again.

That night, things had pretty much gone back to normal. Dr. Nefario had gone to Miss Hattie's and sorted everything out, so he was able to bring the girls' things home. Soon, everything was arranged so it looked like they never left.

When Gru said it was time for bed, Margo was thankful—it had been a long and tiresome day, and she was looking forward to sleeping in her own bed at Gru's house instead of at the hard, creaky beds at the orphanage. Edith and Agnes, however, weren't quite ready to turn in for the night.

"Aw, come on," Edith whined, "we want a story!"

"Three Sleepy Kittens!" Agnes cheered, suggesting the puppet book that Gru had read to them the night before.

"Oh, no," Gru shook his head, pulling up a stool. "Sorry, that book was accidently destroyed maliciously. Instead," he pulled out a book from behind his back, "ve are going to read a new book. This one is called, _One Big Unicorn._"

Margo smiled. That unicorn's striped scarf looked awfully familiar.

"By…who wrote this?" Gru asked himself, looking at the cover. "Oh! Me! I wrote it." He opened the front cover and pointed out a hole where the unicorn's horn should have been. "Look, eet's a puppet book! Here, vatch this," Gru brought his face down and pulled it back up, his pointy nose now in the puppet hole, imitating the unicorn's horn.

"That's de horn," he said, poking his nose and sending the girls into a fit of giggles. Margo was happy to see her sisters laughing—they hadn't been happy at all since they had been thrust back into the orphanage. Gru had been full of surprises all day today, but now a book written just for them? This was the best surprise yet.

Agnes must have thought so, too. _Sleepy Kittens_ forgotten, she leaned over the side of the bed. "This is gonna be the best book _ever_!"

"Not to pat myself on de back," Gru smiled, settling onto his stool, "but yes, it probably vill be."

Gru flipped the book open and showed them the first page. "Here we go.

"_One big unicorn, strong and free, thought he was happy as he could be._

_Then three little kittens came around, and turned his whole life upside down."_

"Hey, that one looks like me!" Edith pointed to a kitten with a pink tasseled hat just like hers. Margo smiled at the others: a blue kitten with glasses like herself, and a green kitten with sprouted black hair just like Agnes, complete with a freeze ray that had trapped the big unicorn in a block of ice.

"Vat are you talking about, these are kittens!" Gru said defensively. "Any relations to persons living or dead is completely coincidental." But the smile on Gru's face gave away what he was hiding. He turned the page to show the unicorn on a roller coaster with the three kittens, portraying their trip to Super Silly Fun Land a few days before. Gru continued reading:

"_They made him laugh, they made him cry._

_He never should have said goodbye._

_And now he knows he could never part_

_From those three little kittens_

_That changed his heart._

_The end."_

And as Gru finished, he looked right at Margo, who had just settled into bed with a big smile on her face.

"Ok," he smiled, rising to his feet, "All right, good night."

Comforted by Gru's heartwarming story, Margo closed her eyes and settled into bed as she heard the flick of the lightswitch. She still sensed Gru's presence in the room as the last few verses of Gru's book echoed in her head.

"_And now he knows he could never part_

_from those three little kittens_

_that changed his heart._

_The end."_

As Margo heard the footsteps of someone walking about the room, her eyes fluttered open to see Gru lightly kiss Agnes on the forehead. Her heart practically melted—Gru had _never_ given them goodnight kisses. But sure enough, Gru walked over to Edith's bed, leaned down, and gave her a kiss as well. Margo's heart warmed when she saw a smile peek through Agnes's lips.

As soon as Gru turned her way, Margo shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. However, he heard his footsteps walk over to her bed and felt him standing over her. Just as he leaned down, Margo rose up and embraced him fondly.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear, and it surprised her how amazing it felt saying those words…aside from her sisters, she hadn't said those words to anyone in years. But Gru's reaction surprised her even more.

The supervillain wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to his chest.

"I love you, too."

And Margo knew he was telling the truth. He had caught her.

And he would never let her go again.


End file.
